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Our alumni

Lopè Ariyo

Chef, food blogger and author

Lopè Ariyo has recently been named one of The Guardian’s “Rising Stars of 2017”. Having graduated in 2016, Maths alumna Lopè has already written her own cookbook, Hibiscus, which is now available online. As a food blogger, author and upcoming chef, Lopè tells us about her time at Loughborough, winning a book deal and fusing Nigerian and European cuisines.

I wanted to study Computer Science but I didn’t get the grades I needed. Maths was my second choice and had been another one of the subjects I enjoyed during A-levels. I chose to go to Loughborough as I felt there were quite a lot of extra-curricular activities on offer.

I think being at Loughborough University has definitely taught me the importance of perseverance. It’s also given me the opportunity to connect with people from all walks of life and so I know as long as I’m willing to network no one or no thing is beyond reach.

I think because I was so involved I got to shape my experiences and have more say in what I and people like me would actually want to do. It also meant I got to meet a lot of great people that I’m still friends with now.

Making sure each recipe was unique. Surprisingly meeting deadlines wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be and it’s most likely a student habit I’ve picked up. It did feel like I was writing a dissertation.

I’ll be doing a series of supper clubs, cooking demos and pop-up food stalls. As well as appearances at food festivals and other panels. A lot of what I do at the moment is making online recipe content so I’ll probably be doing even more of that.